Pamella Roland Pays Homage to Ellsworth Kelly With Latest Collection

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Pamella Roland with models at her spring 2013 fashion show at Avery Fisher Hall.

As the saying goes, life imitates art... or is it art imitates life? Either way, art is not only an expression of the artist, but also a progression of what art itself can be. So it only seems fitting that the inspiration behind fashion designer Pamella Roland’s 2013 spring collection unveiled at New York’s Fashion Week comes from the iconic American artist Ellsworth Kelly. And Kelly, a minimalist who paints, sculpts and prints with simplistic technique, was on-site to take in the fifty pieces that Roland exhibited, all with sleek clean lines, that pay homage to artist who inspired her.

“In the past I’ve done lots of color and ruffles but with this collection I’ve stuck with my inspiration [using] clean lines and more of a minimalist look,” Roland said. “We started looking at his [Ellsworth Kelly’s] paintings, and I’d see a fabric and that gets the whole thing going. We knew the direction we had to go.”

Strong lines, a predominantly neutral pallet, with some pops of color, and geometric patterns that utilized both defined and free-flowing classic silhouettes, the collection embodies a modern and sophisticated elegance. And while the captivated audience, which included such notable stand-outs as Judith Light, June Ambrose and Jay Manuel, was delighted and impressed with Ms. Roland’s collection, no one was more pleased with the show than the designer herself.

“I love everything about this collection. It’s more me rather than thinking always about the customer, this is what I love to wear,” Roland added. “They [the pieces], didn’t make it into my collection if they weren’t one of my favorites.”

With a less is more minimal make-up design by Laura Mercier and Robert Greene that highlights the eye, and tight high hair-buns by Paul Labrecque, the runway show at Avery Fisher Hall was a display from a confident designer who allows her work to speak for itself and has captured modern femininity in art that you can adorn.